Canonical launches its 1st Ubuntu Smartphone

Under partnership with BQ (a company based in Spain known for making eBook readers, smartphones and tablets in Europe), Canonical released its first UBUNTU based Smartphone. Named as Aquaris E4.5, has been available all this time with Android 4.4 KitKat Operating System, and will now be released as a new version running Ubuntu OS for phones (previously quoted as Ubuntu Touch OS). The smartphone is dubbed the BQ Aquaris E4.5 Ubuntu Edition.

As per Canonical, the BQ Aquaris E4.5 Ubuntu Edition is available only across Europe ans is sold in the manner of “flash sale” system, which has proven quite useful for various manufacturers selling their phones in India. The BQ Aquaris E4.5 Ubuntu Edition is priced approx. Rs.12, 000.

The BQ Aquaris E4.5 Ubuntu Edition is a dual SIM phones, and meets same to the specifications of its Android version. It features a 4.5 inch Quad HD resolution display (540×960 pixels) with a pixel density of 240 ppi. It is powered by a Quad Core Mediatek processor (Cortex A7) with clocking speed of 1.3GHz. It includes Mali 400 GPU for graphics and 1GB of RAM.

The phone comes with an 8 MegaPixel rear camera with dual LED flash and BSOI sensor. It also features a 5 MegaPixel front facing camera for video chats and other stuff. The striking feature of this phone’s camera is that it uses interpolation or picture stitching technology that allows users to take 13 MP photos with rear camera and 8 MP pictures with the front one.

It comes with an internal storage of 8GB which can be further expanded up to 32GB via Micro SD card. Talking about connectivity front, the phone has Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, 3G (HSPA+), GPS/A-GPS, Micro-USB with On the go, and FM radio.

BQ Aquaris E4.5 Ubuntu Edition measures 137x67x9mm and weighs around 123 grams. It is powered by a 2150mAh Li-Po battery.

The phone will be available with company’s ScopeUI, which they claim to be a re-invention of Mobile UIs. Users can access sections like music, videos, social media, etc. with simple swipes from home screen itself. Scopes, or categorized Home Screens provide a unified view of content in the particular category. The Ubuntu OS for phones currently runs HTML5 apps. To ensure compatibility and expectations of users, the company has tied up with Facebook, Twitter, Dropbox, Evernote and Amazon, so that the apps will be available at launch.

“The launch of the first Ubuntu Smartphone is significant milestone. The new experience we deliver for users, as well as opportunities for differentiation for manufacturers and operators, are a compelling and much needed change from what is available today. We are excited that the rising star like BQ has recognized this opportunity and is helping us make it a reality,” said Jane Silber, CEO, Canonical stating about the launch.